The Ask Anna Blog

The Fastest and Easiest Way to Stain a Wood Fence

My husband recently rebuilt a small fence next to our house and let me tell you, he is SO proud of it. By the way he shows it off you’d think this was the most spectacular project he’d ever done (personally I think installing our bamboo floors was his greatest project) and the funny thing is that it’s not even our fence! We have an empty lot next to us where a house burnt down about 8 years ago. The previous fence was completely falling down so he tore it down and randomly decided to rebuild it a couple weekends… Read More

Tips for Organizing Pots and Pans

Hi, Susan here from Organized 31. We’ve just completed a kitchen renovation in our house so I have organizing the kitchen on the brain. I thought I’d share some tips I used in planning and organizing pots and pans in our new kitchen. Every house is different and every family’s needs are different, but these are tips that have worked for us and may help you discover what will work for you. With over 20 military moves under my belt, I’ve seen quite a few kitchens in my time. I learned (over and over and over again) what did not work… Read More

Downstairs Bathroom Design Board

Our downstairs bathroom leaves much to be desired. We’ve lived here almost 2 years and the only thing we’ve done is switch out the faucet because the other one sprayed you in the stomach every time you turned it on! Aside from the new faucet the bathroom still has pink walls, pink tile, pink sink, pink shower and a pink toilet (the previous owner must have been obsessed with pink)! In general I just try to avoid the bathroom because it gives me a headache looking at all that pink! I honestly didn’t have a plan to makeover this bathroom… Read More

Backyard Makeover Progress

It’s been awhile since I shared that we were going to be doing some major work in our backyard and we are well underway in the process now. I wanted to share a few pictures because if I don’t share some along the way then my final post will have 100 pictures! It has come so far and I’m SO excited about what the finished product is going to look like! First let’s talk about the deck. Here’s what the deck used to look like. It was long but very narrow and it made entertaining hard because there was so… Read More

Quick and Easy Honey BBQ Vegetable Skewers

Vegetable skewers roasted in the oven and glazed with honey barbeque sauce. These Honey BBQ Vegetable Skewers are perfect for Memorial Day weekend. Hi again! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and this month I’m back to share with you a recipe that’s perfect for serving during Memorial Day weekend. If your menu plans aren’t set yet, you should definitely consider putting these easy to make skewers on it. I know not everyone has a grill. If you live in a big city like I do, sometimes there’s just not enough space for an outdoor grill, even though… Read More

How to Care for and Extend the Life of a Non-Stick Pan

A while back my friend came to visit and while we were making dinner one night she commented on how good of shape my non-stick pans were in. She had received the same set for their wedding but had already had to replace them. We also received our pans for our wedding, 10 1/2 years ago, but they are still in great condition. So why did mine last and hers didn’t? I started telling her how I take care of my pans and all the big no-no’s I see people doing and she confessed that she did a lot of… Read More